Moscow has said that the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al Assad came as a surprise after rebel fighters raced into Damascus unopposed, ending six decades of his family’s rule.
It came after Assad and his family were reported to have been granted asylum in Russia on humanitarian grounds.
Asked about reports that Assad was in Moscow, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: "We have nothing to say about Assad's whereabouts. Such decisions cannot be made without the head of state. In this case, I have nothing to say.
“What happened in general surprised the whole world. In this case, we are no exception.”
The flag of the Syrian rebels was raised over the country’s embassy in Moscow on Monday, just hours after reports emerged that Assad had been granted asylum.
The fall of Assad marks one of the biggest turning points for the Middle East in generations and threatens to severely dent Russia’s influence in the region.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have died and millions have been displaced in a 13-year civil war that began when the Arab Spring protests erupted across the Middle East in 2011.
The end of the war could allow millions of refugees scattered for more than a decade in camps across Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to return home.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iran came to Assad’s rescue, providing significant military support during the war.
On Monday, former MI6 chief Sir Alex Younger said the deposed Syrian dictator would discover “the deep shallowness and superficiality” of his relationship with Russia while living in exile in the country.
“Putin gets this completely undeserved reputation as a master strategist, he is not,” Sir Alex told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
“He is a master tactician. He’s an opportunist.
“He exploited an opportunity which he saw in Syria...and he exploited it brilliantly well.
“But that is what it was, a tactical, opportunistic move.”
Ex-spy chief Sir Alex added: “I’m wholly unsurprised when a far more existential priority, ie Ukraine, emerges that he essentially demonstrates the deep shallowness and superficiality of a relationship with Russia.
“I think the Assad family living circumstances are about to take a precipitous fall as a result.”
